The Washington Post piece was published last week, but is only now making the rounds in the city that provided the dateline.
The Rev. Rey Pineda is the only publicly identified DACA recipient, brought to this country as a child, who has used the grace period to become a Catholic priest. From the Post:
The parish where Pineda works is one of Atlanta's stateliest — the Cathedral of Christ the King. Built on land that was once the national headquarters of the Ku Klux Klan before the cathedral's construction 80 years ago, the grand church is now home to a nearly 6,000-family congregation that is split racially and politically, much like North Georgia's 1.2 million Catholics and the Catholics of the nation…
When Pineda preaches at the Masses in Spanish that draw as many as 1,000 people each Sunday, his message is one of solidarity. Most of the churchgoers here are undocumented, or related to somebody who is.
"They all know I'm a dreamer," he says. "When we pray, when we're nervous about things that are happening in the government around us, I always, kind of tongue-in-cheek, remind them: 'Don't worry. If they come for you, they come for me.'"
We did a quick search on the name of Rey Pineda, now 25, in the AJC archives. There is a March 3, 2004 mention of a young man by that name who was attending Berkmar High School in Lilburn:
"Berkmar German students excelled at the recent state German Language Competition… Rey Pineda earned first place on the German written test and top marks in the designed T-shirt competition."
***
U.S. Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., was on WGAU (1340AM) with Tim Bryant this morning, playing down a Tuesday, post-shutdown declaration made by Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer -- that paying for President Donald Trump's wall was now off the table. Said Perdue:
"The Democrats can shut us down again, Feb. 8. I don't think they'll do that. I think they learned their lesson. They overplayed their hand. But 80 percent of Americans want a secure border with a wall, by the way. And over two-thirds want a DACA solution that includes border security with a wall, and an end to chain migration and the diversity lottery."
Listen here:
***
FBI Director Christopher A. Wray, the former Atlanta attorney, has been under pressure from the White House to remove top officials who served under former director James B. Comey. Deep in today's Washington Post account are these paragraphs:
Wray also will replace his chief of staff, Jim Rybicki, with Zachary J. Harmon, a colleague from the law firm where Wray was a partner before joining the bureau. Harmon is a former federal prosecutor who heads the anti-corruption practice at King & Spalding….
As a white-collar lawyer, Harmon has defended clients in government investigations and regulatory enforcement proceedings, according to his bio on the firm's website. He is expected to leave King & Spalding and join the FBI in the coming weeks, according to people familiar with the matter.
***
Black women are the most reliable electoral bloc in southern Democratic politics. And a summit next month in Atlanta sets out to chart a course for how they can cash in more electoral gains.
The Power Rising summit, planned for Feb. 22-25, is set to gather more than 1,000 people. Organizers hope to attract some bold-faced names and activists for a series of sessions and speeches that include workshops on building political coalitions and running for office in the #MeToo era. (Greg Bluestein)
***
State Sen. Donzella James, D-Atlanta, has introduced legislation to eliminate gender references from statutes describing the crime of rape. She's got a Thursday noon press conference on state Capitol grounds to talk about SB 145.
***
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor will address law school students at Emory University on Feb. 6. Students will be allowed to submit questions in advance.
